Week 13 was the final chance for most fantasy owners to get their team in the playoffs, so getting solid production from everyone on the roster was extremely crucial. Unfortunately, some of the top players in the NFL faltered when it matter the most for fantasy football owners. These are the three players that disappointed their fantasy owners the most in Week 13 of the 2016 NFL season.

Drew Brees

Few things have been more reliable over the years than Drew Brees playing at home in the Superdome, but all of that changed on Sunday. Brees entered his Week 13 matchup against the Detroit Lions as one of the top scoring quarterbacks in fantasy football. The Lions had also struggled to stop the pass most of the season. While this appeared to be a great matchup for Brees, he ended up having his worst game of the season. Brees managed to throw for 326 yards, but he also ended up with three interceptions and zero touchdowns. The poor performance ended his NFL-record streak of 60 straight home games with at least one touchdown. Drew Brees is one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL, so he should be able to bounce back with solid performances the rest of the season.

Lamar Miller

Unlike Drew Brees, Lamar Miller has disappointed his fantasy owners on more than one occasion this season. Miller entered this season as one of the most interesting running backs in the league, but he has consistently failed to live up to his high expectations. Since Miller is averaging just under 20 carries a game, it has been hard for fantasy owners to find a better option on a weekly basis. A snowy field against the Green Bay Packers appeared to create a great matchup for Miller in Week 13, but he was unable to find running room throughout the entire game. While he got to touch the ball 15 times, Lamar Miller only accumulated 18 yards. With disappointing performances in the last two weeks, it is going to be hard for to trust Miller in the fantasy football playoffs. He just does not look capable of putting together a solid game in the inept offense of the Houston Texans.

Davante Adams

No wide receiver disappointed their fantasy owners more than Davante Adams in Week 13. Adams was coming off a game that saw him get 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but he was unable to get anything going against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Going up against the great secondary of the Texans was not a great matchup for Adams, but it was hard to put him on the bench after his amazing game in Week 12. The snowy conditions in Green Bay did not make it easier for Adams to get open on a consistent basis. While he was targeted seven times, Davante Adams only caught one pass for 17 yards. Adams has two tough games in the fantasy playoffs, so his production may continue to be erratic the rest of the season despite surpassing Randall Cobb on the depth chart.

Three weeks ago two stars collided when Earl Thomas tackled Rob Gronkowski in one of the most talked about hits of the year. Now both headline players are done for the year.

Gronk was placed on IR on Friday (details in Item #1 below). Thomas, a leader of the Seahawks “legion of boom”, will soon follow suit after his lower leg injury last night.

This time the collision was between star teammates, when Kam Chancellor’s leg inadvertently “karate chopped” Thomas’ tibia bone. He tried to stand on it momentarily but couldn’t, yet refused to be carted off the playing field.

Pete Carroll indicated a “cracked tibia” and mentioned six weeks in his timeline, but Chancellor said it was a fibula but season ending. By video, the truth is somewhere in between: a season ending nightstick tibia fracture (with fibula intact).

The tibia is the much larger weight bearing bone in the lower leg. The fibula is the smaller bone. The recovery for an isolated fibula fracture is non-surgical and approximately six weeks (see Thomas Rawls). The healing for an isolated tibia fracture is about six months and usually means rodding surgery. Because the fibula was intact, the lower leg did not need an immediate fracture splint, yet it is still a serious injury.

Unfortunately, I don’t see a scenario where Thomas could return this season, even if the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl two months away. Fortunately, he has an excellent chance at full recovery for the 2017 season. Famously, UFC fighter Anderson Silva and NBA star Paul George fractured both tibia and fibula and both made full returns. Other recent NFL players to come back after tibia fracture include Khiry Robinson and James Develin.

Thomas tweeted about possible retirement immediately after the injury. I would never blame a player who makes the decision to hang up his cleats, but the best safety in the league will be back next year, if he chooses to do so.

MMMD 1: Gronk career not over

With his eighth surgery consisting of a low back procedure, some are saying Rob Gronkowski may be done or on serious decline. No question a third disc surgery is concerning, but all were not at the same level (one L4-5 and now a second at L5-S1). Three at one level would beg the need for lumbar fusion, which would end an NFL player’s career. This does not seem to be the case.

The Patriots and Gronk/family are rightfully taking the cautious course. Gronk could return to play at 6-8 weeks post discectomy in time for the conference championship game or Super Bowl, but would not be at 100% until at least 3-4 months. Just like J.J. Watt could come back now after his second surgery on his same disc; however, the Texans are being cautious and looking at the long-term picture.

One can argue any player starts to decline as he approaches the age of 30, but I do not see this as a career ending deal for the 27 year-old superstar. Yes, Gronk will need to be careful and perform lifelong back stabilization exercises and he does risk back pain and degenerative changes long term; however, it would be premature to say his career is over or in decline.

MMMD 2: Hockey injury descriptions?

Julio Jones was described by his head coach as having a “lower body injury”. Normally such descriptions are reserved for the NHL, where a team indication of upper or lower body injury are all that is routinely given.

Although the NFL reports are far from complete, at least it requires a body part and is far superior to the NHL. With the NFL getting rid of “probable” designations, I hope this is not a sign of moving towards even less information.

MMMD 3: Sideline tent

During last week’s Monday night game, there was much intrigue over the Packers structure behind the bench. Cameras followed Aaron Rodgers entering the mysterious canopy causing fans to wonder.

This is simply a medical tent for potential evaluation and treatment. Rodgers entered for privacy to drop his pants to get a hamstring pressure pad wrap.

Several colleges have even bigger versions. I personally wanted to have one when I was a NFL team doctor. Ironically now, I would rather teams not have them as I would rather see what is going on.

Often it saves a trip to the locker room or provides a place to quickly relieve one’s self without running inside.

MMMD 4: Vikings get head coach back

Mike Zimmer had emergency eye surgery and missed his team’s game. This third procedure for a detached retina was likely more than a simple laser and may be his last chance to regain all of his vision. Opthomologists have quoted to me a 25% chance of permanent visual impairment if this surgery doesn’t go well.

Position, stress, airplane restrictions and temporary visual impairment are common. It has been reported that if Zimmer can now fly to Jacksonville for the next game and has resumed coaching duties. Even with the good news, there is no question he will be limited this week in terms of watching film and installing the game plan.

Zimmer and the Vikings should be smart and do whatever it takes to restore his vision as a priority.

MMMD 5: Medical marijuana in NFL?

Seantrel Henderson was suspended for marijuana use that he claimed was used to treat his known Crohn’s disease. The 10 game suspension was confirmed despite the medical reason for usage.

Although recreational and medical marijuana are becoming increasingly legal in various states, it is still strictly prohibited in the NFL. Currently there are no medical use exemptions. If players want this to change, it needs to be a topic for the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Don’t be surprised if that happens.

MMMD 6: Injury rundown

Let’s start with positive medical news. Eric Berry beat cancer just over a year ago and now his pick-6 and pick-2 literally won the game for his Chiefs.

Aaron Rodgers was limited but survived without re-aggravating his hamstring, which is tough given the cold weather and poor footing with the snow. If the Packers can continue a playoff push, this injury should be behind Rodgers if they make it to the post-season.

Derek Carr didn’t have any issues with his finger dislocation. He did not use a glove or buddy tape the pinky and lead the Raiders to a decisive comeback win.

Dennis Pitta had a career threatening injury when he dislocated his hip the second time. It took surgery and two years but he is finally back, as he had nine catches for 90 yards and two TDs, his first since the injury.

Clay Matthews and Justin Houston both played through AC joint sprains on Sunday.

Michael Bennett returned to play four and half weeks after his knee scope.

The worst injury of the day belongs to WR Cecil Shorts. By video, he suffered a multi-ligament knee injury which likely involves his ACL and MCL.

The Patriots likely will loose Danny Amendola for some time with a right high ankle sprain, but the hope is to be 100% for the playoffs.

Jason Pierre-Paul by video has a groin strain, which was confirmed.

Sammy Watkins played through his Jones fracture, which has still not completely healed. The Bills targeted him nine times but he only had three catches for 28 yards. At some point, one has to shut him down and have surgery again to get right for next season.

A.J. Green seems to be improving and on course for a late season return from a grade 2 hamstring injury.

Doug Martin limped off with an injury to the left side where the injury was obscured by a pile of bodies, but hoping/expecting that it is minor.

Trevor Siemian did not practice with his left foot injury and missed the start but I think he has a good chance for this week.

Charles Johnson injured his left hamstring and may miss some time.

An abdominal injury is trouble for any kicker and the Steelers replaced Chris Boswell with Randy Bullock temporarily.

There were three mistakes this week. They were not bad ones and I could argue that I was at least partially correct but I will take my lumps. There may have been more to Gronk’s injury than the innocuous Jets fall but he is done for the year with a disc injury. Despite the fact the Jordan Reed should return soon from his grade 3 AC sprain, he did miss this week. The Danny Trevathan injury turned out to be an ACL tear.

Jay Cutler’s season is over with labral tear surgery. Ryan Kalil is suffering the same fate. A.J. Green has a multi-week proximal hamstring strain. Daryl Williams has a left high ankle sprain. Steeler’s kicker Chris Boswell abdomen did keep him out. Derek Carr played well despite last week’s finger dislocation. Sammy Watkins does still have a fracture in his foot.

Dont’a Hightower avoided serious injury from a chop block as his feet were not planted. Andrew Whitworth suffered a mild MCL sprain and later returned. Luke Stocker appears to have a left high ankle sprain. Bucs WR Adam Humphries left due to a concussion. JPP had a groin strain confirmed. Michael Crabtree avoided serious injury. Charles Johnson exited with a left hamstring injury. Justin Houston played through his apparent mild AC joint sprain. Michael Bennett took longer than the original 2-3 week return as expected. Danny Amendola was confirmed with a high ankle sprain.

The fantasy football season is filled with disappointment, but poor performances from star players are becoming more costly as we get closer to the end of the year. One bad game from a normally reliable player may be the difference between making or missing the playoffs in your fantasy league. These are the three players that disappointed their fantasy owners the most in Week 12 of the 2016 NFL season.

Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks had the perfect opportunity to succeed when he got to play a struggling Rams defense at home in New Orleans. While Drew Brees and the Saints had a great offensive game, Cooks was nowhere to be found. The top receiver on the Saints failed to get one catch in a game that saw the team score 49 points. Nearly every offensive player on the New Orleans Saints helped their fantasy owners in Week 12 expect Brandin Cooks. The star wide receiver, who is considered one of the fastest players in the NFL, recently expressed his frustrations over his role in the offense. These comments usually forces the coaching staff to get a player more involved, so it would not be surprising to see Cooks have a few huge games before the end of the season.

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates was given a difficult matchup when he had to go up against the Houston Texans in Week 12, but fantasy football players still expected a decent performance from the great tight end. Gates was coming off his two best games of the season, and he had scored a touchdown in three straight games before Week 12. Just like Brandin Cooks, Antonio Gates went the entire game without getting a pass thrown in his direction. Backup tight end Hunter Henry’s touchdown late in the game just added more salt in the wound for Gates’ fantasy owners. This game may cause some people to abandon Antonio Gates, but the aging tight end has a great schedule coming up. If he returns to his normal role in the offense, then Gates should find a way to score a few more touchdowns this season.

Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson was coming off three straight great games after finally fully healing from his ankle injury, but he produced his worst game of the season in Week 12. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense had Wilson under constant pressure, so the great quarterback never had much time to find an open receiver. Since Wilson was forced to only throw short passes, he finished the game with 151 yards. Nearly all of Wilson’s fantasy points in Week 12 came from his 80 rushing yards. The Seattle Seahawks have a very favorable schedule the rest of the season, so Wilson should be a top-tier fantasy quarterback in Week 13 and beyond.

Coming off the biggest Thursday with three Thanksgiving games there seems to be a renewed call to get rid of some midweek contests. Even John Madden is critical saying “it just doesn’t work”. The league is reportedly revisiting the subject to consider ending or limiting Thursday Night Football.

My suggestion that I first wrote about in 2014 is simple. Add a second bye week and pair all teams playing on a Thursday with a bye. This way, there would be 11 days before and still 10 days after.

Playing on four days rest and all of its problems would be eliminated. There would be no more health and safety concerns. Players like Andrew Luck who missed the Thanksgiving game with concussion could then play and improve the competitiveness of the game. There would be no need to schedule only regional matchups to avoid long flights and thus provide more compelling matchups. Teams would be able to install normal game plans and the quality of the product would improve.

Teams look forward to the bye week and there are often complaints that the singular break comes too early or too late. Byes are universally acknowledged to be good for player health and recovery so why not have one in the first half of the season and another in the second?

To alleviate the CBA and scheduling concerns of adding a week to the season, the league could get rid of one preseason game. The money lost doing that would be more than made up for by the TV revenue of an extra Sunday, Monday and Thursday game as well as an extra slate of games in the regular Sunday slots. Currently, it is impossible to follow all the nine or ten early games or the three to four later games and spreading 16 weeks of football over 18 weeks would barely be noticed.

A second bye week was tried in 1993 but that was over two decades ago and the league only had 28 teams at the time instead of 32, so it was like four teams were on a perpetual bye already in terms of scheduling.

Heck, if this happened, the league could even add a Wednesday night game and there would be no short week issues.

The bottom line is, I believe players would be in favor of adding a second bye and pairing Thursday games as long as it didn’t lengthen the season. Owners will be for it as there would be more dollars to be had. Fans would get one more week of meaningful football. In the end, this is a rare opportunity for the NFL to improve safety and increase revenue at the same time.

MMMD 1: Derek Carr finger dislocation

Finger dislocations are commonplace in the NFL. Often players will put their own fingers back into place without even running to the sidelines to seek medical help. Most linemen tape their fingers to help prevent dislocation. Most of us have seen the gnarled finger joints of ex-players.

Derek Carr’s right fifth finger dislocation brought lots of attention as it was publicly visible, resulted in a turnover, he ran off the field with pain, everyone always notices the quarterback and it was on his throwing hand.

By video, it was a pinky finger dislocation without associated fracture. The PIP joint is the most common one dislocated and once reduced is stable. Carr did go to the locker room for likely X-rays, tape/splint support, medication/treatment and returned with a glove to lead the Raiders to victory.

Although he will be more sore and swollen after the game, Carr will play next week against the Bills. There may be some practice time and game modification but he should still perform well. Note that Carr lined up in victory formation from the pistol, likely to avoid the pain from a direct under center snap on his top dominant hand.

MMMD 2: Brady and Gronk

Both Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski started the game as expected and the Patriots were lucky to escape the Jets with a win.

Gronk chest issue and presumed pneumothorax was not a problem but he did leave the game early due to a back issue after a diving attempt at a pass. He did not return and was seen after the game walking stiffly and needing to use handrails on steps. By video, this is not a recurrence of disc herniation that has necessitated previous surgery. Back spasms can be tricky and this hopefully remains a short-term setback.

Brady seemed to be off his normal game throwing high several times. He was clearly bothered as the Patriots QB even supported and favored his right knee as he sat down on the bench. I don’t think this is related to the Kam Chancellor hit to the thigh from two weeks ago. In any case, I expect this to be a relatively minor issue going forward.

MMMD 3: Jordan Reed plays through severe AC injury

The Redskins TE returned from a grade 3 acromial clavicular joint sprain to accumulate 10 catches and two touchdowns. After going down hard on his left shoulder, Reed was seen with a sling on. However, with some treatment and medication, he returned for a big second half.

The bad news is that multiple ligaments around the end of the collarbone are torn causing significant pain, presence of an obvious deformity with a visible bump and he will miss significant practice time. The good news is Reed is unlikely to miss games, although he will have to play through pain despite the help of medication. The next game is the hardest as swelling sets in post-game. Ironically once the swelling subsides, a more severe grade 3 injury looks worse but is less painful than a less severe grade 2 sprain as the end of the clavicle is riding so high it no longer rubs against the acromion to cause pain.

MMMD 4: Both Justin Houston and Von Miller dominate after ACL

The Sunday Night Game featured two great pass rushers recovered from ACL surgery. Von Miller had a 2014 ACL surgery and Justin Houston is only 10 months out from reconstruction. Miller had 10 tackles (9 solo) with three sacks and four tackles for loss. Houston matched those numbers with 10 tackles (10 solo) with three sacks and five tackles for loss. Miller is the NFL season sack leader and Houston might be challenging for the lead if surgery on his November knee injury wasn’t delayed until February.

MMMD 5: Harvard player health study

The NFLPA has funded a Harvard study on NFL player health. The report was released last week including the top 10 recommendations.

The best recommendation is for the NFL and NFLPA to stop using health issues as bargaining chips in the CBA negotiations. The most obvious are that all involved should follow a code of ethics and continue to collect/study injury data. The least game-changing is the suggestion that players be supported in their right to a second opinion as that is already the case and second opinions are very routine.

The most controversial recommendation is the use of “player’s medical staff” not hired or reporting to the team. I see the potential ethical concerns but in reality they are not there. Just like this study has potential bias because it was funded by the NFLPA, doesn’t mean it is biased. If Dr. James Andrews can serve as a Redskins team physician and yet be considered ethical and above reproach, so can other team doctors. Besides a system of independent doctors would be very cumbersome and result in many delays. For example, I don’t see how Derek Carr or Jordan Reed return to play with their injuries this week under such a system. Of course you can make the argument they shouldn’t have, but I think both Reed and Carr would object to that.

Justin Houston, by video, suffered a mild left AC sprain when he caused the safety, but returned quickly to the game.

Odell Beckham Jr. had a thumb injury that did not seem to slow him down much.

Luke Willson was said to have a mild knee sprain, which was not the same side as earlier this year.

18 months ago, some feared Jason Pierre-Paul’s career was over due to the fireworks injury. Instead, on Sunday he had 3 sacks and fumble return over 40 yards for a touchdown, a first in the NFL in over four decades.

By video, Jordan Richards, Patriots safety, had a mild MCL. Luckily his knee was flexed and he avoided more severe injury and returned to play.

The mechanism for Danny Trevathan’s knee injury is likely to result in a right ACL tear.

Martellus Bennett seemed to re-aggravated right high ankle sprain that has bothered him since Week 5 but continued to play.

Derek Wolfe returned in three weeks with a brace and avoided elbow surgery for a fractured coronoid process.

LeSean McCoy played well despite his thumb. He performed better than Sammy Watkins who was also active. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski played as expected. Jordan Reed’s injury was more than just a mild AC and was announced as Grade 3 sprain. Jamison Crowder was OK with low ankle sprain and continued to play.
Josh Forrest was confirmed to tear a ligament in his knee. Robert Woods does have a significant MCL and missed the game. Andrew Luck was not cleared for the Thursday game. Marshall Newhouse did have a MCL sprain. Halapoulivaati Vaitai does have a MCL sprain. Demetri Goodson unfortunately is confirmed with a multi-ligament injury with ACL tear. Derek Wolfe did avoid surgery and returned in just under a month with an elbow brace. Blake Martinez missed with a confirmed MCL strain. Kelvin Benjamin returned to the game and caught a touchdown.

Week 11 of the NFL season was once again full of disappointing fantasy performances for owners all over the country. With only two weeks left until playoffs start in most fantasy leagues, dud performances are starting to really take a toll on playoff chances. Here are 3 of the most disappointing fantasy players from this past week.

Tyrod Taylor

Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has actually been a fairly consistent fantasy option for people who opted to draft a quarterback in the later rounds. Before Sunday, Taylor had only failed to eclipse 15 standard fantasy points just one time. Unfortunately for his owners, Taylor was almost non-existent from a fantasy perspective against the Cincinnati Bengals. He managed just 166 yards through the air with no touchdowns and an interception. He also only managed 39 yards on the ground. Despite a gritty 16-12 win for the Bills, Taylor left his owners, myself included, out in the cold.

The Bills schedule is filled with exploitable defenses for the rest of the season, so Taylor should be able to turn it around sooner rather than later. The possible return of injured star receiver Sammy Watkins in the next couple of weeks would certainly bolster Taylor’s fantasy upside.

Ben Roethlisberger

Arguably the biggest Week 11 disappointment, Roethlisberger entered Sunday with the juiciest fantasy match-up he could have, the winless Cleveland Browns. Despite ranking near last in every major defensive category, the Browns held Roethlisberger to just 167 passing yards and no touchdowns. In Big Ben’s defense, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell stole the show with over 200 total yards from scrimmage, but being held under 200 yards passing by the hapless Browns is more than a bit embarrassing.

Roethlisberger will have another juicy match-up this week against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football on Thanksgiving. His owners will hope for the Big Ben who put up 408 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys instead of the unenthusiastic play he showcased against the worst team in the league.

Michael Crabtree

Oakland Raiders veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree exploded onto the fantasy scene this season as the Robin to Amari Cooper’s Batman. Thus far, he has amassed 601 yards receiving to go along with 6 touchdowns. Unfortunately for his owners, none of this production came to fruition this week against the Houston Texans. Crabtree only managed 5 yards on 3 receptions, far below his projections. He did manage to draw 2 pass interference penalties that moved Oakland way down the field, but flags don’t count towards fantasy points.

He will look to turn it around next week against the Carolina Panthers, a team that has been struggling to stop receivers all season.

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